Background
Nur ad-Din had gained control of Aleppo on the death of his father Zengi in 1146. He began to attack the Principality of Antioch and successfully defended Damascus against the Second Crusade in 1147; the Crusaders had arrived to avenge Zengi's capture of the County of Edessa's capital city in 1144. In June 1149, Nur ad-Din invaded Antioch and besieged the fortress of Inab, with aid from Unur of Damascus and a force of Turcomans. Nur ad-Din had about 6,000 troops, mostly cavalry, at his disposal.
Prince Raymond and his Christian neighbor Joscelin II of Edessa had been enemies since Raymond had refused to send a relief army to Edessa in 1146. In fact, Joscelin even made a treaty of alliance with Nur ad-Din against Raymond. For their part, Raymond II of Tripoli and the regent, Melisende of Jerusalem refused to aid the Prince of Antioch. Recklessly, Prince Raymond struck out on his own with an army of 400 knights and 1,000 foot soldiers.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Inab
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